


How to Save a Life

by frankie_mcstein



Category: Zoo (TV)
Genre: Anik is a life saver, Author Still Can't Tag, Because the author can't think, But should probably learn, Gen, It's Not Good, Jackson has daddy issues, LITERALLY, Mitch is a heck of a friend, Mitch was right, Post series Jackson whump, Song lyrics as titles, for a change, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-05
Updated: 2016-05-05
Packaged: 2018-06-06 14:29:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6757855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frankie_mcstein/pseuds/frankie_mcstein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mitch wasn't wrong when he said the dog bite looked bad, although no one, not even Jackson, knew quite how bad it was. Going to a hospital would be good. Getting stranded on a distant island is very not good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How to Save a Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DinerGuy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DinerGuy/gifts).



> Minor character death ahead (it broke my beta's poor little heart so I have to warn you) No violence this time but I do put Jackson through the wringer.
> 
> Not 100% sure I really need to warn for that, given my previous offerings to this fandom.

“Hey… what is that?”

“Oh, yeah, yeah. It’s nothing. It’s a dog bite; it’s fine.”

“That needs to be cleaned up. It doesn’t look too good.”

Jackson just huffed a laugh and shook his head. “It’s fine, Mitch. Really.” He rolled his sleeve back down, hiding the ugly mark. “Right now the only thing we need to worry about is getting to the dock before that boat leaves. Arranging transport isn’t exactly easy these day.”

Abe nodded his agreement fervently while Chloe made a comment about their luck and legendary sea monsters. Mitch wasn’t sure if it was meant to be sarcastic or just amusing. Either way, he soon found himself drawn into a debate with Jackson about the possibility of a grain of truth within the old legends of creatures like the Hydra. Between them, they managed to drag Chloe and Abe into the discussion and long before they reached the Baltimore city limits, thanks to Jackson and Chloe teaming up on them, Abe and Mitch had admitted the possibility that the stories had some basis in fact.

By the time the were seeing signs for the docks Mitch was focused on explaining the differences between Sirens and Mermaids and expounding on the possible reasons for those differences. Unsurprisingly, the car’s other occupants had some intelligent input to offer, and Mitch had quite forgotten the injury on Jackson’s arm. For his part, Jackson was happy to just keep the conversation going and the attention away from himself and his wound. Sure, the bite was throbbing a bit, but that wasn’t anything to worry about. He’d had worse.

***

An eighteen hour boat ride wasn’t Chloe’s idea of a fun way to spend her time. Most of the people who knew her had been surprised to find she had wanted to go on a safari for her honeymoon, pointing out the lack of proper showers and fancy restaurants. The truth was the safari had been her fiance’s idea, not hers. Still, the part of her that felt she could easily handle anything life threw at her was annoyed by those reactions.

‘If they could see me now,’ she thought, only slightly bitterly. The sea wasn’t exactly calm, and she hadn’t slept, and, although she didn’t have a mirror on her, she was pretty sure every minute of the rough sea and lack of sleep was showing on her face. She spun at the sound of a cough behind her and a look of concern wrinkled her brow.

‘At least you know you don’t look as bad as him,’ she told herself, watching as Jackson staggered slightly against the roll of the boat before finding his balance and walking up to stand besides her at the railing.

“Won’t be long now. Should be in sight of Jamie’s island within the next few minutes,” he offered as a conversation starter, and was it her imagination, or did he sound hoarse? The last few months had seen the fall of more than just man’s cities; modern medicine was becoming increasingly rare as factories and supply routes crumbled worldwide.

“Are you feeling okay?” she demanded, trying to remember the latest reports on availability of things like antibiotics.

“Little seasick I guess,” came the answer, coupled with an almost rueful grin. “I’ve never had a problem before but...” He trailed off and shrugged. “Guess there’s a first time for everything.” Jackson either didn’t notice or deliberately ignored the look she gave him, and then Mitch yelled, cutting off any further conversation as they both hurried around to the prow.

“Apparently, that’s our destination.” Mitch sounded almost sarcastic, like he thought someone somewhere had made a mistake and sent them to the wrong coordinates. The three stood in silence, staring at the blur on the horizon, barely visible through the rain falling over it.

“We have no idea how many animals we’re going to be facing when we land,” Jackson said finally, not taking his eyes off the approaching island. “We could be facing no end of trouble.”

“We will deal with it, Jackson, as we have with all challenges so far.” Abe’s voice was calm and controlled, no sign of worry or fear on his face. “And then, when we are reunited with Jamie, we will continue working on the cure.” He sounded so certain that Mitch and Chloe found themselves nodding and Jackson actually grinned.

“So, our plan is to go from the dock to the house Jamie mentioned and simply push past whatever comes between it and us?” Chloe was smiling as she spoke, refusing to let the fear she was most definitely feeling show.

A chorus of “yes,” “absolutely,” and “uh huh,” answered her question.

“Okay then.” She squared her shoulders. “We’d best go and see what sort of equipment the crew have on board.”

As the four turned and headed back towards the storage cabin, Jackson rubbed futilely at his sandy-feeling eyes and took deep breaths to try to settle his stomach and clear his increasingly groggy head. It didn’t help much.

‘Stupid rough seas,’ he groused to himself, wondering why his body had decided now was the perfect time for his first experience with sea-sickness.

***

It was even harder than they had anticipated. The rain was nearly torrential and the animals were single-minded in their determination to stop the humans from reaching Anik’s home. All four of them were getting dangerously exhausted, but Jackson seemed to be struggling more than the others. His face was pale except for a spot of flushed color in each cheek, and his hands were trembling. Even the rain hammering down around them couldn’t disguise his hoarse panting. Abe and Mitch had taken to flanking the young zoologist while Chloe led the way, hoping to offer him some measure of protection. If he realized what his companions were doing, Jackson didn’t give any indication of it. He seemed to be wholly focused on getting to Jamie and the leopard.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Chloe gave a quiet call of triumph and all three men heaved a sigh of relief at the sight of a heavy duty chain link fence ahead of them, locks on the gates, and Jamie waving to them frantically.

“Anik is acting as a diversion!” she called, as soon as they were close enough to understand what she was shouting. “Hurry!” She started fumbling with the lock as the others broke into a desperate run, hearing calls and roars around them but not seeing any signs of animals anywhere. The lock popped open as they reached the gate and Jamie opened as narrow a gap as possible to allow them to dive through one by one.

As Jackson slipped through behind everyone else, a snarl sounded from the treeline. Abe grabbed Jackson’s wrist and pulled him the last few inches through the gate so Mitch and Chloe could slam it closed and Jamie could close the padlock. A wolf came tearing through the trees and threw itself bodily at the fence. All five jumped back as the wolf repeated its attack, snarling and snapping. But the fence held, the group heaved a collective sigh of relief, and then the laughing and hugs started.

“We thought we’d lost you!” Chloe exclaimed, throwing her arms around Jamie and planting kisses on her cheeks. “Dieu merci, vous etes d’accord,” she continued, lapsing into her native French in a rare loss of control. Mitch and Abe crowded around Jamie too, all four of them expressing the same sentiment, all four of them too busy to notice Jackson swaying where he stood.

As Chloe stepped back to allow Mitch to come face to face with Jamie, she glanced around, confused by Jackson’s absence in the circle. Her eyes landed on him in time to see him slump to the ground in a dead faint. Her cry of shock alerted the others, and they all hurried the few steps to their fallen friend. Abe dropped to his knees, calling Jackson’s name and shaking his shoulder. The others stayed back, Jamie clinging to Mitch, to stay out of the way. When he looked up, Abe’s face was grave.

“He has a fever. We need to get him out of this rain. Jamie, do you think your friend would mind us going inside?”

“No, no, of course not. He’ll be back any second now. We can see if he has any medicine. He must have something, I mean, he looked after me.” She led the way to the front door, no longer holding on to Mitch but walking very close beside him. Abe carefully lifted Jackson, while Chloe helped him regain his balance as he stood before hurrying after the others to hold the door open for him. It wasn’t a long walk, but Jackson wasn’t light. Abe was clearly struggling as he walked in, but the fiercely protective look on his face prevented any of the others from offering to help.

He headed to the first soft surface he could see, a slightly dusty looking couch, and laid Jackson on it as gently as he could. Mitch and Jamie moved deeper into the house, searching for any sort of medical supplies, as Chloe and Abe started trying to make Jackson comfortable, working together to remove his dripping jacket and soaked shoes. Mitch came back with a warm-looking blanket, and Jamie followed after him with a plastic box in her hands.

“This was all we could find,” she said, wrenching the box open as Mitch handed the blanket to Chloe. “I’m not even sure what...” A groan from the couch cut her off and all eyes turned to Jackson.

“Abe?” His voice was quiet and confused. “What... what happened?”

“You fainted, Rafiki. We had to carry you into the house.” His voice was almost stern, worry for his friend stirring his temper. “How long have you been feeling so ill?”

“It was just... just seasickness, I thought.” He tried to sit up but what little colour he still had drained as he fell back against the couch cushion with a groan.

“Jackson?”

“My arm. It’s burning!” Jackson moved to grab his arm but Mitch beat him to it, stretching out the limb and rolling the sleeve up as gently as he could. He hissed through his teeth at the sight of the dark red flesh, swollen around the teeth marks. As he looked closer, he could see a faint shimmer of liquid as it welled up from the puncture wounds.

The noise of the door opening made them all jump and spin to face it, only for Jamie to heave a sigh of relief as Anik’s smiling face appeared. He said something, pointing at Jackson, and Jamie tried to make him understand the situation.

“He’s ill. He needs help. Like you helped me?” Jamie ran her fingers through her hair in a gesture of frustration as Anik stared at her, looking more curious than anything else.

Mitch tried to help, prying Jackson’s hand away from the dog bite and pointing to it with an exaggerated movement. “Infected,” he said, too worried about Jackson to care how offensive he was being. “Bad infection. He needs, uh...” and here he put his hand to his lips, miming putting something in his mouth, “tablets. Antibiotics.”

Anik stared at the festering wound for a moment, nodded once, then turned and left the house again, leaving the others blinking in confusion. There was silence for a short moment, then Jackson gave a quiet groan and tried, weakly, to pull his arm away from Mitch. It seemed to end the moment in which they had all been stuck, and Mitch’s expression grew determined.

“Okay, Jamie, is anything in that box definitely an antiseptic or antibiotic?”

“No, not that I can see.”

“Right, well, in that case we’re going to need boiling water, clean rags, and a sharp knife.” At Jamie’s look, he explained further. “I have to drain this, as soon as possible. I’ll use the knife to open the wounds, the hot water and rags to wash them out. If he is really, really lucky, he won’t develop blood poisoning.”

***

The day had held such promise, but it was descending into a nightmare.

Jackson had cried out when Mitch first sliced into his arm, but he had been eerily silent and still since. His temperature was still raging and Abe was looking increasingly worried as the day wore on.

Anik was dead. Jamie had found his body lying outside the fence. For some inconceivable reason, he had ventured beyond the safety of the metal links and paid the ultimate price. Jamie was still trying to not cry at the shock.

Mitch had hoped the satellite phone would be Jackson’s salvation, but no one had answered any of their calls. Still unable to identify much in the box of supplies that Jamie had found thanks to the language barrier, he and Chloe were turning the small house upside down, desperately searching for anything that could help Jackson fight the infection. Voices cried out, and Mitch and Chloe hurried back into the room to see Jackson struggling to stand and Abe trying desperately to keep him on the couch without hurting him.

“Let me go! Get off me!” Jackson’s voice was panicked, his eyes wide but dull. Abe was trying to talk to him, but Jackson wasn’t listening. One wildly swinging fist caught Abe a glancing blow and Mitch moved to help, but Abe stopped him with a look.

“No. I have seen delirium before. The more people around him, the more confused and scared he will become.” He turned back to Jackson. Abe was holding both of Jackson’s hands now, but the smaller man was still fighting, adrenaline lending strength to his fear.

“Please, Rafiki.” Abe was terrified he was going to squeeze too hard, or move at the wrong angle and add broken bones to his friend’s problems. “Please, try to breathe. Try to come back to yourself.”

Even though his words really were helping, it certainly looked hopeless, like his voice was falling on deaf ears. Jackson was lost in a fog of heat and pain. He was somewhere he didn’t recognise, strange shapes and shadows looming about him. He had felt an overwhelming need to run, to hide, but something was stopping him. Something was pinning him down, and he didn’t know what or why, but he knew it was bad. He knew he needed to get away and he lashed out, trying to fight, trying to escape.

Whatever was holding him down was stronger than he was, catching his wrists and holding them at bay, growling as it did, strange words in a language he couldn’t understand. And the voice was… soft? He knew that voice, he was sure of it. Knew it almost as well as he knew his own. Names and faces were beyond him, slipping from him as he tried to reach for them, but he knew that voice. Knew it meant safety. He fought back against the fear and panic coursing through him, used what little strength he had left to focus on the voice, to ignore the pain and the heat and to just breathe. He felt his body relax as the pain fell back, washed away by the voice that was still rolling over him as he sank back into the cool, gentle darkness.

***

It had been hours since Jackson’s sudden return to consciousness and even more abrupt lapse back into unconsciousness. Since then, there had been little in the way of conversation between the group and most of what there was had been monopolized by Jamie, insisting that Anik must have had a damn good reason for going beyond the fence. The only enduring noise was the dripping of the rain on the roof, punctuated by scrapes and splashes as Mitch refilled the bowl with hot water and salt, hoping that continued cleaning and sterilization of the area would somehow help, and Chloe’s sighs of annoyance as every number she tried to dial resulted in endless ringing.

So when Jamie leaped to her feet and headed to door, everyone who was conscious turned to look at her, stopping her in her tracks.

She threw her hands up in a gesture of frustration. “Anik had a reason. I need to know what it is.”

“No.” Mitch was shaking his head. “You can’t go out there.” He waved his hands slightly, trying to find the words to express his thoughts. As usual, he missed the tone he was hoping to convey. “You’re too upset. You’ll do something stupid.”

Everyone winced at the look of fury that sprang to Jamie’s face.

“I’ll what?” Her voice rose from yell to shriek in those two short words, quiet fury not a part of her repertoire.

Mitch opened his mouth to reply but got cut off, thankfully, by Chloe.

“How about I go out and see if I can find anything?” She stepped closer to Jamie, speaking quietly. “Mitch is partly right; you are upset. And also,” she glanced back at Mitch before leaning even closer to the other woman, “I think he is worried that, if you leave his sight, you won’t return.”

Jamie’s face cycled through several emotions before settling on shock, and she looked around Chloe to see the chagrined look on Mitch’s face.

“I will go too, in case Anik’s departure from safety was not his choice.” As he stood, Abe added, “I cannot help Jackson by sitting here and watching others’ attempt to aid him.” He spared a few moments to check his rifle before crossing to the door with Chloe.

Mitch and Jamie both watched them leave, too embarrassed to look at each other.

The door clicked closed, sounding loud in the suddenly heavy silence, and Mitch risked a sideways glance at Jamie’s face. He looked away quickly, happy to see she looked happy, but not knowing exactly how to proceed. He looked again, and this time she was looking at him. As soon as their eyes met, they both looked away, neither entirely sure what to say now that they were finally in a position to talk. Just as Mitch was starting to think he wasn’t going to be able to resist throwing the clock against the wall to stop it ticking off the seconds, Jamie cleared her throat, making him jump.

“This is stupid,” she said firmly, looking at Mitch. “We kissed. And then we were ripped apart from each other. And now, after months, we’re together again. And we aren’t even talking! Are you going…” She narrowed her eyes slightly. “Are you laughing at me?”

Mitch shook his head, pressing his lips firmly together for a second. “I’m just… I’m really happy you’re okay.” He watched the smile spread over her face for a moment. “I’m not good at this whole…” an aborted gesture conveyed his frustration. “This whole talking thing.” He was surprised by Jamie’s laugh - and more surprised when he felt her hand on his face.

“I think you’re better than you imagine,” she said softly before leaning towards him, her eyes closing. Mitch leaned forward to meet her, letting his eyes close too. They didn’t break apart again until Jackson’s voice startled them both.

***

Anik’s body had vanished and the blood had been washed away by the rain. It was hard to find the spot where he had been killed until Abe noticed the flattened grass. They had scoured the area as best they could from behind the fence, hoping to spot something that would help, but the sight of a shovel half-hidden in the underbrush had brought them both up short. For nearly a minute, Chloe and Abe stood in silence, minds racing furiously as they tried to make sense of the last few minutes of a stranger’s life.

“Obviously he didn’t need the shovel to get beyond the fence.” Abe nodded in agreement and Chloe continued, trying to use her training and talents. “So he must have had a need for it once he was outside. There are guns in the house so he wasn’t planning on using it as a weapon. So he must have been going to dig something up. What could be so important to him that he would feel the need to brave the animals to dig it up?”

Abe took over as Chloe fell silent.

“He walked in and looked at Jackson before he walked out again. Perhaps...” He trailed off, taking a moment to ruthlessly quash the wild hope that sprang into his chest as his mind completed the thought. But Chloe, tired and scared and more than slightly frustrated, leaped onto Abe’s train of thought and seized it.

“Perhaps there is something buried out there that he thought could help Jackson?” She turned to Abe, a frantic look on her face, and Abe knew she was about to say something stupid, and that he wouldn’t have the strength to say no. “We need to go out there and find whatever it was he was looking for.”

***

Mitch was quietly fuming as he knelt by the couch. Chloe had burst in a few minutes ago, grabbed the spare key for the padlock on the gate, said that she and Abe were going out, and left again before he or Jamie could argue or even ask why.

“Of all the stupid, pigheaded…” he grumbled to himself, scared for the two of them but too worried by Jackson’s continued unconsciousness to risk leaving him.

As if on cue, there was a groan from the couch.

“Jackson? Jamie’s just getting some water; do you think you could drink?”

“Dad?” Jackson’s voice was so weak Mitch had to strain to hear him, then wished he hadn’t. “Dad… please… don’t go.”

“Umm…” Kicking himself for his lack of eloquence Mitch put a hand on Jackson’s shoulder in what he hoped would be a comforting gesture. “Just rest, Jackson.”

“Please…”

A small noise told Mitch Jamie had walked back into the room.

“Dad… I’m sorry. So sor… sorry.”

Mitch started patting Jackson’s shoulder, feeling utterly helpless and useless. “It’s uh… It’s okay, Jackson. Just try to rest.”

“Should have said… should have… supported…”

At a total loss Mitch looked to Jamie for help, but she looked horrified, frozen in place.

“Don’t leave, pl… please. Please don’t…” Jackson’s voice was still weak but he was starting to get louder, starting to move on the couch as if trying to reach for the father he thought was standing over him.

“I, um…” Mitch exchanged another look with Jamie, who had her free hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes; they all knew how damaged Jackson’s relationship with his father had been. “I’m not going anywhere, um, son.” Mitch winced at the word but it had the desired effect: Jackson settled down, lying still again.

Jamie came to stand behind Mitch, a supportive hand on his shoulder even as Mitch was still patting Jackson’s shoulder. She still looked like she was about to cry, but she forced a smile onto her face as Mitch looked up at her, nodding at him to continue.

“You just, uh, you just need to rest. We’ll talk when you’re feeling better.” Mitch hated himself in that moment, thinking of all the times his Clem could have needed to hear him say those exact words, thinking of how often Jackson might have wanted to hear Robert say those words, and caught himself hoping Jackson would never remember what he had said.

Jackson just gave a quiet sigh and muttered, “Dad,” one more time before falling silent again.

Mitch stayed where he was, on his knees, hand on the unconscious man’s shoulder, tension thrumming through him.

Jamie dropped to her knees beside him. “I know that was hard,” she said, nodding as she spoke, “but you had to say that. It was what he needed to hear.” A hand pressed against Mitch’s cheek again, but this time when he turned to look at her, Jamie looked strangely calm, as though she believed her words and couldn’t imagine anyone disagreeing with her. “He’ll understand.” Her voice was quiet and perfectly steady. “If he remembers, he’ll understand.”

Mitch was saved from answering by the door crashing open and Abe and Chloe practically falling through into the room. Abe was holding a box in his hands, Chloe was carrying a shovel, and they were both soaking wet and covered in mud.

“We found it!” Chloe exclaimed, grinning through her obvious exhaustion. “You were right, Jamie. Anik had a reason for going outside.” The pair moved to the couch and Abe offered the box to Mitch, who was delighted to see packs of tablets inside.

“This is penicillin,” he crowed, seizing the pack and popping out tablets. “Why was all this buried?” He stopped as Chloe held out a small picture frame.

“We found this in there too.” Jamie reached out to take the photograph and she and Mitch found themselves looking at Anik in a suit standing next to a woman in a bridal gown. “We think his wife must have gotten sick before this insanity started. Perhaps, after he lost her, he did not want to keep all these things in the house, but could not bear to get rid of it all either.”

Jamie nodded sadly, eyes fixed on the picture. “After my mother died, we kept the last of her Oramorph in the bathroom cabinet for years. Dad refused to keep anything else in there with it. After a while, I didn’t even ask about getting rid of it anymore; he always got this pained look on his face whenever it was brought up.”

There was an awkward silence as the four of them contemplated the things they had done to deal with grief themselves.

“And your friend was going to dig this up to help a man he had never even met. Truly his loss will be mourned,” Abe stated, clearly moved by the gesture.

The moment ended as the satellite phone rang loudly.

Chloe hurried to answer it while Jamie went for fresh water, Abe tried to rouse Jackson, and Mitch continued to investigate the tablets and medicines he was holding. “This looks like medical disinfectant, and this is more penicillin. These look like rehydration treatments. Perfect.” He was talking more to himself than to anyone else and didn’t stop until Chloe had ended her call.

“It will be another day at least before the boat returns for us. It was forced away from the dock by sea life and then by the bad weather.” She looked at Jackson, barely awake, propped up on Abe’s arm, and clearly not recognizing the people around him. Mitch offered her a smile.

“These tablets’ll help. In fact, these might be more useful than the stores in some hospitals now. We can easily keep him stable with all this until we get him back to civilization.”

Over the next day or so, they took turns encouraging Jackson to drink as much as he could manage, Mitch keeping the young man on a strict schedule of antibiotics and numerous other pills from Anik’s box that the other three couldn’t identify but which seemed to be working wonders as the hours wore on. By the time the phone rang again to tell them the boat had returned, Jackson’s fever was gone and he sleeping peacefully instead of being out cold. The relief the other four members of the team felt over this latest victory was tempered with the knowledge that, even though this latest obstacle had been successfully overcome, there was still the all-important task of reversing the animal uprising and saving the world at hand. But even though the severity of the issue was looming over their heads, they knew they would deal with it just like they had with every obstacle so far: head-on as a team.

**Author's Note:**

> Once again I blame Dinerguy whole heartedly for this. She got me in to Zoo, she encouraged my whumpy plot bunnies, she even edits my truly appalling grammar. I was volun-told, I'm totally innocent in this! Honest!


End file.
